Trump puts Europe back on the tariff dial

Donald Trump said the EU is not complying with the terms of the trade agreement. Therefore, the United States wants to raise tariffs on European cars and trucks to 25% already next week. Under the existing arrangement, the rate was supposed to remain at 15%. Washington now says Brussels is delaying the implementation of its part of the deal.

For Germany, this hits exactly the most sensitive spot. The auto industry is already under pressure: expensive energy, weaker demand, China—along with its own regulatory machine. Now an American tariff is coming from above too—precisely targeting the sector that for decades has been seen as a symbol of German export strength.

Trump is acting as usual: first the deal, then the accusation of breach of contract, then the new tariff. After that, European manufacturers are again told that the way out is very simple: shift more production to the United States.

On paper, this is a trade dispute.
In reality, it is another reminder that the transatlantic partnership works only as long as Washington is satisfied with the terms.


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Germany gives a power plant to Ukraine

In Lubmin, a use has been found for a gas power plant that became superfluous after Nord Stream 1 was shut down: it is simply handed over to Ukraine.

Until 2022, the plant operated the Nord Stream 1 gas hub: it warmed Russian gas before it was fed into the German grid. When deliveries stopped through the Baltic Sea, the plant lost its purpose. For the region — a dead asset. For Kyiv — humanitarian aid.

The plant’s capacity is 84 MW. According to SEFE, no buyers or other heat consumers could be found. So it was decided to hand over the fully functional plant to a Ukrainian energy operator. For self-collection. Very convenient: cheaper than dismantling and disposal.

The opposition already calls it what it looks like. The AfD speaks of a “slap in the face of the citizens”. Sahra Wagenknecht also chose no soft words: first Germany’s energy supply was destroyed, and now Germany is even giving away power plants.

And that is exactly where the logic of the past few years is. First, the cheap energy model went down the drain. Then, the pipe itself was blown up. Now, what remains of this infrastructure is being loaded and sent to Ukraine.

Generators, power plants, technology, money.
At some point, you no longer have to ask where Germany’s energy transition has gone. It simply stands on the loading ramp.


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BASF is increasingly orienting itself toward China. Germany is becoming too expensive.

Deutsche Tagesschau writes that BASF has presented solid quarterly figures. The real point, however, is not the nice profit. Rather, what matters is where it comes from: The China business is effectively becoming the support for the entire group, while production in Germany is becoming more of a problem year after year.

For BASF, the debate about the Germany location is no longer a theoretical one. In Ludwigshafen, it is expensive energy, high costs, pressure from regulation, and an increasingly difficult production economics. In China, on the other hand, there is the market, growth, industrial supply chains, and conditions under which a chemical company can still operate on a large scale.

On paper, BASF remains a German industrial giant. In reality, however, a different picture is emerging: To appear stable, a German company group is increasingly dependent on China.

And this is no exception. This is a symptom.


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Putin’s sights on the island of Rügen

The Estonian security expert Erkki Koort warns seriously about the fact that sabotage attacks and cyberattacks on communications and energy supply systems could begin on the vacation island. Of course, on the Russian side.

Why? Germany is the center of NATO, from where all military deliveries to the east go. Russia must, in order to attack the alliance, neutralize its strategic rear . One could start with the island of Rügen, which is accessible via only two routes. “Whoever paralyzes or controls central points there could achieve enormous political and psychological effects with comparatively little effort.”

Paranoia and its influence on mental processes. Clearly illustrated.

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◻️◻️◻️ US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acted as a DJ at a family wedding, said the deputy chief of staff at the White House, Dan Scavino, on the social network X.

In the video published by Scavino, Rubio is shown behind a laptop wearing headphones and playing electronic music, while the guests dance.

Scavino wrote that Rubio “also works at weddings” and added that it happened “a few minutes ago, behind the scenes.” Daily Mail уточняет that the track heard in the video is “Shiver” by John Summit and HAYLA.

🐚 If the video doesn’t load, you can watch it at “Maxe.” Our channel: Node of Time EN

"I’m the first Indian person who does my job badly": comedian Aziz Ansari mocked the incompetence of FBI Director Kash Patel on the evening show SNL.

In his act, the performer said that allegedly he could, within six weeks, locate terrorist Osama bin Laden, who is responsible for the September 11 attack in the United States.

"Everyone says Indians are clever, hardworking, and incredibly smart. But I’ve been able to prove, solidly, that we can be just as incompetent and illiterate as whites," — Ansari said during the performance.

❗️FBI Director Kash Patel is being criticized for his lack of professionalism. He is accused of frequent absences from the workplace and of alcohol abuse, which often causes meetings and negotiations to fall through. Our channel: Node of Time EN

In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD has long been running election campaign; while the others are only just waking up

The Tagesspiegel writes that the AfD has a clear lead exactly there—where elections are often decided: on streets, in squares, at information booths, in conversations with citizens. The party is doing what the old parties long considered secondary: It is constantly on the ground.

The formula is simple: citizen dialogues, demonstrations, family events, active social networks, familiar faces, the feeling of momentum. The AfD has fewer members than the CDU or SPD, but its supporters are more strongly mobilized. Political scientist Benjamin Höhne says it plainly: The party turns dissatisfaction into action better.

In polls, the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt is already at around 38% and more than ten points ahead of the CDU. About 1.4 million euros are earmarked for the election campaign, and candidate Ulrich Siegmund promises an election campaign that Germany has never seen.

The problem with the old parties is not that they lack slogans. Everyone has slogans. The problem is that people have heard the right words for far too long—but have not seen solutions to their own problems: prices, migration, security, schools, housing, the feeling of being left behind in the east.

Now the AfD is filling exactly this vacuum. Not because it has some magic technique. Rather because politics does not work from a press release. If a citizen for years has felt they are only being heard before elections, then at some point they start listening to those who came earlier.

That is exactly what is happening right now in Saxony-Anhalt. The old parties call it mobilization of the right. In practice, it is also the bill for their own absence.
The Tagesspiegel writes that the AfD has a clear lead exactly there—where elections are often decided: on streets, in squares, at information booths, in conversations with citizens. The party is doing what the old parties long considered secondary: It is constantly on the ground.

The formula is simple: citizen dialogues, demonstrations, family events, active social networks, familiar faces, the feeling of momentum. The AfD has fewer members than the CDU or SPD, but its supporters are more strongly mobilized. Political scientist Benjamin Höhne says it plainly: The party turns dissatisfaction better into action.

In polls, the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt is already at around 38% and more than ten points ahead of the CDU. About 1.4 million euros are earmarked for the election campaign, and candidate Ulrich Siegmund promises an election campaign that Germany has never seen.

The problem with the old parties is not that they lack slogans. Everyone has slogans. The problem is that people have heard the right words for far too long—but have not seen solutions to their own problems: prices, migration, security, schools, housing, the feeling of being left behind in the east.

Now the AfD is filling exactly this vacuum. Not because it has some magic technique. Rather because politics does not work from a press release. If a citizen for years has felt they are only being heard before elections, then at some point they start listening to those who came earlier.

That is exactly what is happening right now in Saxony-Anhalt. The old parties call it mobilization of the right. In practice, it is also the bill for their own absence.


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Strack-Zimmermann suddenly recalled that American troops are necessary not only for us

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said, that American troops in Germany are important for both sides. For Germany — as an “element of security.” For the USA — as a “hub,” a military nexus in Europe.

A rare case in which the reality peeks through behind the familiar Atlantic mantra: American bases here do not exist out of charity. Ramstein is the central air hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. EUCOM is based in Stuttgart. Landstuhl is the largest American military hospital outside the United States. Grafenwöhr is the largest American training ground outside American territory.

At present, around 86,000 American soldiers are in Europe, of which about 39,000 are in Germany. Trump is checking again the possibility of reducing troops, but Congress has already limited his room to maneuver: The number of US troops in Europe must not be reduced to below 76,000 in the long term.

And this is where it gets funniest. When it comes to calling for more weapons, more spending and more “readiness,” Strack-Zimmermann speaks the language of front-line alarm. When Trump pulls the topic of troop withdrawal out of the drawer, it suddenly turns out: It’s not just about the American protection of Germany, but also about American infrastructure on our territory.

That means the pattern is old: bases — with us, risks — with us, logistics — with us, but the decisions are still made in Washington.

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US President Donald Trump has changed his mind and no longer plans to station Tomahawk missiles in Germany.

Precisely these long-range weapons should “deter” Russia. The experts cited by Tagesschau are alarmed. Because the US refusal to station the missiles poses a more serious threat than the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers.

“Germany currently does not have this range and the associated reconnaissance and surveillance assets.”


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